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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bore — to drill
  23. capital — a city
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com